Roughriders eye series split

Saturday

Mar 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 10, 2013 at 12:06 AM

After winning the first game of this weekend’s four-game series with Des Moines Area Community College, 3-1, on Friday, the Roughriders returned to the field, but their bats didn’t on Saturday as they were swept in a doubleheader, 6-0, 5-3, at Roughrider Field.

Levi Payton

After winning the first game of this weekend’s four-game series with Des Moines Area Community College, 3-1, on Friday, the Roughriders returned to the field, but their bats didn’t on Saturday as they were swept in a doubleheader, 6-0, 5-3, at Roughrider Field.

The Roughriders (12-3) lived on the edge Friday night as they danced around 13 hits and allowed just one run. Offensively, the Roughriders took an early 1-0 lead in the first, but the Bears tied it in the second (1-1) on an RBI single by Tyler Wolfe that scored Steve Serratore.

Crowder answered in the fourth with two runs and held on the rest of the way.

Starter Chris Caudle earned the victory after scattering 10 hits over six innings of work with four strikeouts and a walk. Cody Jones, Cody Jackson and Andrew Schwaab worked the remaining three innings in relief, combining for three hits and three strikeouts on no walks. Schwaab nailed down the save.

The Roughriders weren’t as fortunate on Saturday as they ran into the right arm of Dakota Freese in game one, and could never figure him out. Freese, a right hander, worked in the upper 90’s with his fastball, and stymied the Roughrider bats as he allowed just two hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks in the complete game effort. Tyler Hamer started the second game for the Bears and was also effective. He allowed two hits, three walks and struck out two in 5 2/3 scoreless, earning the victory.

The Roughriders made things interesting in the seventh inning of game two, loading the bases with no outs, but could only manage three runs off of reliever Brennan Manfull.

The series concludes today with one nine-inning contest at 1 p.m. at Roughrider Field.